Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

3.1 Moment of a Force-Scalar Formulation

3.2 Cross Product

3.3 Moment of a Force-Vector Formulation

3.4 Principle of Moments

3.5 Moment of a Force about a Specified Axis

3.6 Moment of a Couple

3.7 Simplification of a Force and Couple System

3.8 Further Simplification of a Force and Couple System

3.9 Reduction of a Simple Distributed Loading

Prepared by Prof. Sukhoon Pyo, Instructor of CUEE 203, 2024

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

3.1 Moment of a Force-Scalar Formulation

a. Torque vs Moment
- Moment of a force is measured by multiplying the force by the perpendicular distance of the line
of action of the force to the axis of rotation.
- In engineering mechanics (unlike physics), the term “torque” and “moment” are not
interchangeable. “Moment” is the general term for the tendency of one or more applied forces to
rotate an object about an axis (the concept which in physics is called torque).
- Torque is used for the closely related "resultant moment of a couple". (wikipedia.org)
- “Torque” is a special case of moments: If the applied force vectors add to zero (i.e., their
“resultant” is zero), then the forces are called a “couple” and their moment is called a “torque”.
- For example, a rotational force down a shaft, such as a turning screw-driver, forms a couple, so
the resulting moment is called a “torque”. By contrast, a lateral force on a beam produces a
moment (called a bending moment), but since the net force is non zero, this bending moment is
not called a “torque”.
- Moment arm: the shortest distance from a point of force to a point undergoing moment.

- Summary
￭ Same idea, same units   ×
  and 
  ×
 ; [N·m]
￭ Different axis of application
▫ Bending with “moment”, M
▫ Twisting with “Torque”, T

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

※ Concept of Moment
- Moment of a force is measured by multiplying the force by the perpendicular distance of the line of
action of the force to the axis of rotation

- Seesaw example

- The lug nut on the wheel

- Concept example

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

b. Magnitude

c. Direction
- Direction using “right hand rule”

d. Resultant Moment
- Sum of all the forces

  
      

Example 1) For each case, determine the moment of the force about point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 2) Determine the resultant moment of the four forces acting on the rod about point O.

3.2 Cross Product

a. Basic

b. Magnitude
-

c. Direction
-

d. Laws of Operations
1. Commutative law is not valid
 × 
 ≠ 
 × 

Rather,

 ×   
 × 
, 
 × 
  

2. Multiplication by a Scalar


 × 
 
× 
  
× 
 
 × 

3. Distributive Law

 × 
  
 
 × 
  
 × 


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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

e. Cartesian Vector Formulation

3.3 Moment of a Force-Vector Formulation

a. Expression

b. Magnitude

c. Direction
- U

d. Principle of Transmissibility

e. Cartesian Vector Formulation

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

f. Resultant Moment of a System of Forces

Example 3) Determine the moment produced by the force 

 about point O. Express the
result as a Cartesian Vector.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 4) Two forces act on the rod. Determine the resultant moment they create about the
flange at O. Express the result as a Cartesian Vector.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

3.4 Principle of Moments

: Moment of a force about a point is equal to the sum of the moments of the forces' components about
the point

Example 5) Determine the moment of the force about point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

3.5 Moment of a Force about a Specified Axis

a. Purpose
: For moment of a force about a point, the
moment and its axis is always perpendicular
to the plane
b. Scalar Analysis

use right-hand rule for direction

c. Vector Analysis

- In determinant form

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 6) Determine the resultant moment of the three force about the x axis, the y axis,
and the z axis.

3.6 Moment of a Couple

a. General
- Couple:
· two parallel forces
· same magnitude but opposite direction
· separated by perpendicular distance d
- Resultant force = 0
- Tendency to rotate in specified direction
- Couple moment = sum of moments of both couple forces
about any arbitrary point

b. Scalar Formulation
- Magnitude of couple moment

- Direction and sense are determined by right hand rule

- 
 acts perpendicular to plane containing the forces

c. Vector Formulation
- For couple moment, 
  ×
 
-

- If moments are taken about point A, moment of “  

” is
zero about this point

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

d. Equivalent Couples
- 2 couples are equivalent if they produce the same moment
- Forces of equal couples lie on the same plane or plane parallel to one another

e. Resultant Couple Moment

- Couple moments are free vectors and may be applied to any point P and added vectorially
- For resultant moment of two couples at point P, 
  

  

- For more than 2 moments, 

   ×
 

Example 7) Determine the resultant couple moment of the three couples acting on the plate.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 8) Determine the magnitude and direction of the couple moment acting on the gear.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 9) Determine the couple moment acting on the pipe. Segment AB is directed 30 〫below
the x-y plane.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 10) Replace the two couples acting on the pipe assembly in the figure below by a
resultant couple moment.

3.7 Simplification of a Force and Couple System

a. General
- An equivalent system is when the external effects are the same as those caused by the original force
and couple moment system
- External effects of a system is the translating and rotating motion of the body
- Or refers to the reactive forces at the supports if the body is held fixed

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

b. System of Forces and Couple Moments

- Equivalent resultant force acting at point O and a

resultant couple moment is expressed as

- If force system lies in the x-y plane and couple

moments are perpendicular to this plane, (scalar
equations become)

c. Procedure for Analysis

1. Establish the coordinate axes with the origin located at point O and the axes having a selected
orientation
2.
3.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 11) Replace the force and couple system in the figure below by an equivalent resultant
force and couple moment acting at point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 12) Replace the force and couple system acting on the members in the figure below by
an equivalent resultant force and couple moment acting at point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 13) Replace the system of force and couple moment by an equivalent resultant force and
couple moment acting at point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

3.8 Further Simplification of a Force and Couple System

a. Concurrent Force System
- A concurrent force system is where lines of action of all the forces intersect at a common point O

  

 

b. Coplanar Force System

- Lines of action of all the forces lie in the same plane
- Resultant force of this system also lies in this plane

c. Parallel Force System

- Consists of forces that are all parallel to the z axis
- Resultant force at point O must also be parallel to this axis

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 14) Replace the force and couple moment system acting on the beam by an equivalent
resultant force, and find where its line of action intersects the beam, measured from point O.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 15) The jib crane is subjected to three coplanar forces. Replace this loading by an
equivalent resultant force and specify where the resultant’s line of action intersects the column AB
and boom BC.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 16) The slab is subjected to four parallel forces. Determine the magnitude and direction
of a resultant force equivalent to the given force system, and locate its point of application on the
slab.

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 17) The slab is subjected to four parallel forces. Determine the magnitude and direction
of a resultant force equivalent to the given force system, and locate its point of application on the
slab.

3.9 Reduction of a Simple Distributed Loading

a. Loading along a Single Axis

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

- Example: wind on the face of sign, water within a tank, concrete slab
- A pressure loading can be described by the function   
- Makes 2-D problem by multiplying it by the width b, then   
- Use the methods of Sec. 3-8 to find 
 

b. Magnitude of Resultant Force

- Magnitude of 
 is equivalent to the sum of all forces in the system   

c. Location of Resultant Force

- 
 produces a moment of    about O.

    ;   



 


 
    ⇐
 locates the geometric center or centroid of the area
 

  

Example 18) Determine the magnitude and location of the equivalent resultant force acting on the shaft

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 19) Determine the magnitude and location of the equivalent resultant force. The
distributed loading:      

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Chapter 3 Force System Resultants

Example 20) Determine the magnitude and location of the equivalent resultant of the load

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